Letters
by Elphaba'sGirl
Summary: Dear Jack; I imagine you're in Santa Fe by now. Jack, please promise that you won't forget me. I miss you, Jack. And, I think I love you. Katherine


**Disclaimer: no**

**Alright, so, this lovely little piece started out, believe it or not, with me attempting to write a HAPPY newsies fic for once. It didn't happen that way. I apologize in advance.**

Dear Jack;

I imagine you're in Santa Fe by now. You must be happy. Perhaps you have friends there, as close as family. They must love you.

Jack, please promise that you won't forget me. I'll write you as often as I can, and I've promised to teach Crutchie to write, so he can reach you, too.

Well, this letter is short, but it really only needed to say one thing; that I'm thinking of you. I miss you, Jack.

And, I think I love you.

Katherine

* * *

><p>Dear Jack;<p>

Did you get my first letter? I think if you had, you'd have responded by now. Or, perhaps, I shouldn't have said what I did. Perhaps I've scared you off.

I couldn't _not_ say it, Jack.

Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever been so in love with someone you can't breathe without them? I can't think straight Jack.

You've been in Santa Fe for too long. Even a moment was too long, Jack, but it's been a year. A year, and today I mentioned you to the boys. One of the younger ones- Frankie, maybe?- asked me "Who's Jack Kelly?" Jack, that should tell you enough. It's been too long. Racetrack and I told him about the strike when he asked, but he was there when it happened. He's the little one- I'm still blanking on his name; I'm not good with names like you- with dark hair and light eyes. He's five now. He was four during the strike, but Race and I agree; your boys should know you.

Jack, I love you.

Katherine

* * *

><p>Dear Jack;<p>

I'm sorry about my last letter. I didn't mean to come off that strong. I mean, you're in Santa Fe. You're happy. You must be. I know you are, or else you'd have come back.

Right?

It rained today. I found myself wondering if it rains all that much in Santa Fe. Crutchie, Race, and I spent the afternoon at Medda's, looking at some of your old paintings.

She let me keep one, of a girl in Central Park. She's facing away from you in the painting, with her hair loose and her skirts blowing in the wind.

Crutchie says it looks like me.

Did you paint me again, Jack? How many of your paintings were done without my knowledge?

Anyway, I framed it. It's hanging above my mantelpiece as I write these words.

Les told me to tell you hello. So, hello, Jack, from Les.

David won't talk about you. He'll talk about the strike, and about his life as a newsie (he's gone back to school, now), but he carefully omits any mention of your name.

Jack, I love you.

Katherine

* * *

><p>Dear Jack;<p>

Today, we had a visit from a lady who said her name was Angela Sullivan. She came to the lodging house looking for her son, one Francis Sullivan.

You told me your mother was dead, Jack. I believed you.

How much did you lie about?

Well, I told her the truth; Francis Sullivan is dead.

Jack, you're not coming back. I've accepted that.

When you didn't respond, I thought maybe you hadn't gotten my letters. I thought maybe I sent them to the wrong place by accident. There was a time, Jack, when I honestly thought you were dead.

You're not dead, I hope. But you don't care, and that hurts almost as much.

This will be my last letter to you. After two years and six months, I'm moving on. I'm sure you'll be proud of me, if you ever read this.

I'm sure you moved on long ago.

Jack, you were the first person I ever truly believed in. The first person I ever loved.

I do love you Jack. I always will.

But it's time for me to say goodbye.

Goodbye, Jack, and I'll try not to stay in love with you.

Katherine

* * *

><p><em>Dear Katherine; <em>

_Well, I'm back in the City, Ace. After all this time. I don't know where you are. I'm not going to send this letter; I can't, because nobody knows where you are. _

_I'm sorry, Ace. I'm sorry I went away for so long. _

_Honestly, I expected to hear from you. I expected you to, I don't know, write me, at least. Then, as I'm finding out, you can't write someone when you don't know where they are._

_I never made it to Santa Fe, Ace. I spent all that time in little towns along the way before I realized that I'd left home behind. _

_And I realized something else; I love you, Ace. Do you know what it's like, to love somebody so much you can't breathe without them? _

_But I guess that's the price I paid when I tried to leave you. _

_Maybe someday I'll see you again, Ace, but for now, I'm just going to keep loving you. I believe in you. I'll always believe in you._

_Love,_

_Jack Kelly_


End file.
